Mr Barnett said it was an important day for families living in Perth’s northern corridor.

“One of the earliest decisions we made as a new Government was to redevelop Joondalup Health Campus and the opening of these new facilities today, only a little more than two years on, marks a major milestone in the redevelopment,” Mr Barnett said.

“The State Government is investing $229.8million to significantly expand public hospital facilities at Joondalup Health Campus over the next two years to enable more people to receive health care locally.”

The new ED has 56 patient bays - an 86 per cent increase on the 30 bays in the previous department - with separate waiting and treatment areas for adults and children.

The ward block has 55 new public beds - 51 bright and spacious single rooms, including 10 with private courtyards, and two double-bed rooms each with an ensuite bathroom.

“This demonstrates our commitment to deliver real improvements in public hospital services for people living in Perth’s northern suburbs and also shows we are increasing capacity in the State’s health system,” the Premier said.

“The Joondalup Health Campus has been running as a private hospital since 1996 after an upgrade by the previous Liberal Government and serves as a great example of how Government and industry can provide a public service."

Health Minister Kim Hames said the new facilities and increased capacity at Joondalup Health Campus would help reduce pressure on other hospitals.

“Joondalup Health Campus serves one of the fastest-growing areas of Australia with many young families choosing to live in the area,” Dr Hames said.

“Staff treat more than 150,000 public patients annually. The hospital is home to one of the busiest EDs in Western Australia with more than 68,000 presentations in 2010.”

The new ED has 30 adult treatment bays; a 12-bed emergency admission unit for patients requiring observation; an 11-bed paediatric treatment and observation area; and three resuscitation bays, including a combined adult and paediatric resuscitation bay.

The resuscitation area includes a customised $350,000 digital radiography machine - the first of its type to be installed in an ED in WA - which can be used to X-ray patients with minimal patient movement.

It produces high quality images in just five seconds, enabling doctors to more quickly identify injuries in seriously injured or critically-ill patients.

Other facilities in the new ED include a class 5 negative pressure isolation room for infectious patients and external decontamination showers, reflecting the hospital’s role as a designated disaster management site.